The present invention relates to a nipple for use with a medicine dispensing bottle, and more particularly, to a nipple including a medicine tube disposed therein which permits medicine, vitamins, or other fluids to be dispensed into an infant's mouth separately or simultaneously with other liquid contained in the bottle.
It is well known in the art that many pharmaceuticals and drugs are provided in liquid form for ease of oral administration to patients such as infants. However, such oral medications generally have an unpleasant or bitter taste which is objectionable to infants. Consequently, many infants will spit the medication out, making it difficult to determine whether the correct dosage has been administered.
Various modified oral compositions as well as devices have been proposed in the prior art to overcome the taste problems associated with conventional dosage forms. For example, Burchett et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,383,906 and 5,487,750, and 5,824,012 teach a nursing bottle in which a syringe is mounted within the bottle for dispensing medication. However, there is open communication through the annular space between the nipple and the interior of the bottle. This could allow the medication to become mixed with the liquid in the bottle, leading to unwanted dilution of the medication in the bottle and inaccurate dosing.
Liu et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,964 teaches a nursing bottle which includes an outer bottle with a detachable nipple and an inner bottle disposed inside the outer bottle. The bottle includes a switch which allows fluid in either bottle to flow into the nipple or to let fluids from both bottles flow into the nipple simultaneously. However, the nipple does not provide an isolated pathway for the medication and there is no control over the rate of drug delivery. Further, the switch is comprised of three separate parts which may become lost or broken during use.
A more effective system is found in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,122, which discloses a medicine dispensing bottle which comprises a traditional nursing bottle having an internal receptacle which accommodates a syringe for dispensing medicine. The bottle allows regulated dispensing of medicine along with other liquids commonly ingested by an infant, such as milk or juice, through separate holes in the nipple attached to the bottle. The medicine and liquid can enter the infant's mouth simultaneously, thereby effectively masking the taste of the medicine while obtaining accurate dosing of the medicine. However, the nipple disclosed in my earlier patent is especially designed for use in that system, is not readily interchangeable with other dispensing devices such as those of Burchett et al and Liu, is somewhat difficult and expensive to manufacture, and otherwise could be improved upon.
Accordingly, there is still a need in the art for a simpler means for dispensing medicine and liquid simultaneously to an infant which effectively masks the taste of the medicine while providing an accurate dosage of medicine.